India Defeat Kyrgyzstan To Clinch Bronze Medal In Central Asian Handball Championship

TASHKENT: In a proud moment for the nation, India clinched a bronze medal in the men’s category at the 4th Central Asian Open Handball Championship.

Riding on the back of an impeccable goalkeeping performance from Rajasthan's Akshayraj Singh Rathod, India edged past Kyrgyzstan 34-31 in the nail-biting bronze medal match held at Tashkent in Uzbekistan on Wednesday.

The clash turned out to be a thrilling encounter as both the teams were leveled at 17-17 till half-time.

Akshayraj emerged as the hero for India as he made crucial saves, saving 13 goals including 4 penalties to help his side finish third on the podium.

Meanwhile, hosts Uzbekistan got the better of Kazakhstan in the final to clinch the title. Teams from India, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan along with hosts Uzbekistan took part in this competition.

Notably, Priyadeep Singh Khangarot, an international handball player, working in Rajasthan State Sports Council was the coach of the Indian team.

Yash Pratap Singh, secretary of the Rajasthan Handball Association, and Mohammad Kalim, assistant administrative officer of Rajasthan State Sports Council, also accompanied the Indian team as technical delegates.

General secretary of Handball Association India, former international player and Maharana Pratap Awardee Tejraj Singh also travelled as a team leader.

It is worth mentioning that Akash Verma from Assam was part of the Indian team as a player and Amal Narayan Patowary, the general secretary of the Assam Handball Association, accompanied the team as a manager.

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